Faldo Returns to Hong Kong Hunting Ground
Nick Faldo has been one of Asia’s finest ambassadors over the years, first as a regular visitor to the region for tournaments and lately as someone keen to see the development of Asian golf.
He will be fulfilling both roles at November’s Hong Kong Open at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling in a city where he is hugely popular.
Apart from playing in the $2.25 million event, which is jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour, he will also spend some time coaching Hong Kong’s best young talent.
Faldo is already heavily involved in the Faldo Asia Series, which has identified some of the best young golfers from the region and singled them out for grooming.
Indeed, some of the players involved in that series will also participate in his Hong Kong clinic. In a press release from sponsors UBS, Faldo said:
“The Hong Kong Golf Club is a unique and special place which I have enjoyed playing on many occasions. There are likely to be some players in the field who have come through the Faldo Series, both in Europe and Asia, so it will be rewarding to see them first-hand and equally exciting to see the high standard of other young Asian golfers coming through.â€
The Faldo Series Asia involves 11 tournaments in nine different countries, culminating in the grand final at Mission Hills, China on December 12-14.
I remember covering the 1990 Johnnie Walker Classic, which was the inaugural tournament, held in Hong Kong when I was a reporter at the South China Morning Post.
Faldo went on to win the event, shooting a then-course record of 62 in the third round.
Meanwhile, in Jakarta, England’s Lee Westwood, finished joint third in the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational.
Westwood closed with a two-under-par 70 for a four-round total of 272 to finish three strokes behind Filipino Juvic Pagunsan, who claimed his maiden triumph.
Sharing third place with Westwood was American Anthony Kang while India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar was second on 270.
Mickelson’s Family Flee Fires
Wildfires don’t care about big names. With brush fires raging out of control in California, no-one in their paths are spared.
Hollywood stars, the rich, the famous and even top golfers. Phil Mickelson’s family were among those forced to evacuate their homes this week because of the fire threat.
Amy and their three children fled their Rancho Santa Fe hillside home and went to their beach home in San Diego. Lefty himself was in New Jersey at the time playing in a corporate event but joined his family later.
According to a report on the PGA Tour website, flames reached within one mile of the Mickelsons’ home.
In safer surrounds, Spain’s Sergio Garcia will be among the top attractions this week at the Mallora Classic at the Pula Golf Club.
The 2004 winner has not finished outside the top two over the past three years and is hoping to continue that good form against tough competition, including Sweden’s Niclas Fasth.
There will also be a star element at the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational in Jakarta with England’s Lee Westwood headlining the Asian Tour event.
European Ryder Cup golfer Westwood has been a strong supporter of Asian golf over many years and his participation in Indonesia is sure to boost the inaugural event’s standing on the tour.
Westwood’s presence is also a taster to a great few weeks of golf in Asia, when a series of tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour will see a host of leading players from Europe playing in the region.
Strange Hazards on Colombo Course
A friend from Sri Lanka, where I was born, recently asked me to visit him if I was ever there and we could play a round at the Royal Colombo Golf Club.
I shuddered at the thought. My last trip to Colombo was in 1999, when I saw the rules of etiquette casually being abused at every dog-leg during my round at the golf club.
Not by the members, but by people who had never played a game of golf in their lives.
I don’t know if this phenomenon is unique to the Colombo club but there is an army of, I suppose vagrants, who patrol the course looking for stray golf balls that you hit and who they want to sell back to you.
I played with my brother, who was golfing for the first time and had no idea about proper course etiquette.
I was horrified when, at the first tee addressing the ball, one individual suddenly appeared in the middle of the fairway, signalling to me that it was okay to hit my shot because the previous flight were already safely away.
I furiously waved at him, asking him to get out of the way, but he refused to budge and kept motioning me with two arms, as if guiding a taxiing plane, to hit my shot.
I was livid, while my brother saw nothing wrong with the gesture and thought it highly decent of the guy.
A few holes later, I hit a shot into a shallow stream parallel to the fairway and this bearded chap who looked like he’d just walked out of a caveman movie approached me aggressively.
In perfect English, he said: “You’re not allowed to take the balls that land in the water.â€
I replied: “It’s my ball, I can do what I want with it.â€
“No,†he said. “We get to take these.â€
“What, so you can sell my own ball back to me?â€
At this point, my brother interjected, saying innocently: “He’s only trying to help, let him have the ball.â€
I gave up and let him have the ball, trying hard for the rest of the round to keep my shots in play. All the while, we were followed by anywhere up to five hangers-on hoping we’d hit stray shots, of which there were many.
It wasn’t all bad. I had a great caddie who gave me excellent club selection tips and also taught me how to use a seven-iron instead of a wedge for short approach shots.
As a result I shot my lowest round ever.
My post-round complaints to the management were received by the expected shrug of the shoulders. Apparently, these guys just wander on to the course on their own and it was difficult to police.
I haven’t been back there since so I don’t know if the Colombo ball-retrieving squad are still active. If so, it’s a good way of forcing hackers to hit straight.
First-Time Feeling for McNeill and Mads while Randhawa Defends Indian Title
There were first-time winners on either side of the pond at the weekend. No longer are the names of George McNeill and Denmark’s Mads Vibe-Hastrup obscure to those who do not have an anorak’s eye-view of the US PGA Tour or the European Tour.
McNeill triumphed at the Frys.com Open in Las Vegas while Vibe-Hastrup claimed his first title at the Madrid Open.
Despite three-putting for bogey on the 18th, 32-year-old rookie McNeill closed with a five-under-par 67 for a total of 23-under 264 and a four-stroke victory over DJ Trahan.
The Associated Press wrote that Tiger Woods’ first pro title came at the same tournament, in 1996. Journalists like to add big names to articles where none seem to be around and scratched around to find something that linked George McNeill to Tiger Woods.
McNeill saw the humour in it by saying:
“Any time you can be mentioned in the same sentence as him it’s a good thing. That whole saying about what [happens in Vegas] stays in Vegas, I hope my game travels. I felt like I didn’t do anything that special. It’s nice to kind of buzz around and win by four and not feel like you’re doing anything all that great.â€
McNeill earned $720,000 for his win against a field that didn’t have a single top-20 player.
Vibe-Hastrup shot 67 in his final round to finish at 16-under-par 272 and win in Madrid by three strokes.
With many of Europe’s leading players preparing for a series of tournaments in Asia, Vibe-Hastrup was able to take advantage to get his name on the 2007 European Tour winners’ list.
The Dane won 150,000 euro for his victory, with Spain’s Alejandro Canizares finishing second on 275 and his final round of 68.
In Delhi, there was an opportunity to form links with big names again as home favourite and Asian Tour veteran Jyoti Randhawa triumphed in the Indian Open.
In successfully defending his title and winning it for the third time, Randhawa joined Australian great Peter Thomson as the only other player to sieze three victories at Delhi Golf Club.
Randhawa, who also players on the European Tour, shot a fourth-round three-under-par 69 for a 13-under 275 total to win by three strokes from Taiwan’s Chang Tse-peng, who closed with 68.
Another Indian, Rahil Gangjee, shot the day’s best round of 66 to earn third place, five strokes behind the winner with Australian rookie Mitchell Brown finished fourth.
Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player — Class Personified
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting both Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player – and let me just say, God is not making golf professionals like them anymore. If you watched the recent Presidents Cup, I don’t need to argue the class of these two individuals – but I thought two anecdotes could share my personal insight.
For years, I was the Director of Golf at Cheval Golf and Country Club — just outside Tampa, Florida. Each year our sister course, the TPC of Tampa Bay, would host a Champions Tour event (now called the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am). Well, for a few of those years, my course hosted the “Super-Seniors†Pro-Am portion of the event, which was for all the professionals over age 60. Of all the professionals I met — no one wowed me like Gary Player.
I was in the parking lot on the day of the tournament checking on a few things when I received a call over the radio. “Gary Player is in your office and wants to talk with you†was the message from one of my assistants. I told him to stop fooling around and actually do some work – but he assured me it was true – and that I needed to come inside. Well, low and behold, he was right. There he was – Gary Player – standing in my office – waiting for me. As one of the all-time legends of the game, he was on my short list of people I wanted to meet. We shook hands and Mr. Player offered me a gift. He gave me a Gary Player golf shirt – exactly my size. He wanted to thank me for allowing him and the other professionals for playing our course. Turns out, he had someone call up earlier in the week to find out what size shirt I wore. I was completely touched. But – it doesn’t end there. After the round, Player came in and said what a great golf course we had. He said the greens were some of the best he had ever played and were much better than the TPC course. He said that he’d be happy for us to use that quote in our monthly newsletter (entirely his idea) – along with a personal thank you to the members. Needless to say, we got a lot of mileage from that quote.
Jack Nicklaus also played in our Champions Tour event a couple times and called the TPC course one of the best he’d played in years. But – the first year he played – he stayed right alongside our clubhouse in one of the condos. So at night, he would eat in our clubhouse with the owner of the country club. This was very hush-hush, as we didn’t want the members to bombard him during dinner. But of course, that didn’t stop me from finding my way to the restaurant on one occasion. Actually, to be honest, I was there for another matter and then happened to see him. But – like Gary Player – Mr. Nicklaus was high on my list of golfers to meet.
The owner of the club saw me walking by and called me to the table. There I had a wonderful 10-minute conversation with Mr. Nicklaus, who asked me all kinds of personal questions and seemed genuinely interested. I was very touched by his sincerity. A couple weeks later, and completely unsolicited, I received a nice letter and picture. Nicklaus wrote a little note, referencing our conversation, and then personalized a great picture to me. It remains one of my favorite golf treasures.
A couple years later, I was the official starter of the 2nd stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School – also held at the TPC of Tampa Bay. As I looked at the roster of players I’d be starting that day – one name stood out like a big red flag – Gary Nicklaus (youngest son of the Golden Bear). I believe it was Gary’s 4th attempt at qualifying up to that point. I was interested to see him hit it, as I had heard good things. But honestly – I was more interested in asking him about his dad. Needless to say, I was a little surprised when Gary’s caddie ended up being none other than his dad – Jack Nicklaus himself. And was even more surprised when his caddie remembered me and asked how things were going. He even remembered a couple of the things we talked about the night we first met. I must say, pretty impressive for a guy who has probably met thousands of golf professional around the world.
In this day and age of spoiled athletes, it was such a breath of fresh air to see two of the all-time great champions go out of their way to make a club professional feel special. And I for one will never forget the contribution they have both made to the game I am fortunate enough to make a living at today.
America Needs Jack Nicklaus
In a previous post, I mentioned that it might be time to do away with the Presidents Cup. After all, with the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, the Americans have a major team event every year. This seems like too much. Especially with the new Fed Ex playoffs, which forces top players to compete every week leading into the matches. Well, after thinking about the subject – and more importantly – watching and enjoying the Presidents Cup, I’ve changed my mind. Maybe it’s time to do away with the Ryder Cup. I say lets invite the Europeans to play in the Presidents Cup instead. I know, I know – the Ryder Cup has history. And yes, I love the Ryder Cup and can say without much shame – have secretly rooted for the Europeans for years. Hey, cut me some slack – how can you not root for Seve Ballesteros? So why now do I want to do away with the Ryder Cup? Simple, Jack Nicklaus! He’ll never be Ryder Cup captain again – but there’s a good chance he’ll be back to captain the Presidents Cup. And the Americans need him. That is…if they want to continue playing up to full potential.
Simply, Jack Nicklaus, with the power of his personality, has transformed the Presidents Cup. For the first time, Americans are playing loose. They’re playing like the Europeans in the Ryder Cup. Nicklaus has brought the game back to a competition and not a spectacle. He realizes that these guys know how to play golf and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Give them the ball and let them play. That’s it! Nothing more complicated than that. Please take note Paul Azinger.
One thing I loved about Nicklaus’ captaincy was his team selection process. Simply, he asked his best players whom they wanted to play with. “Hey Tiger – who do you want?†Sounds pretty simple to me. No computer models needed. Just gut instinct from the world’s best players. True genius is always simple.
So, I’m not sure if we can get the Ryder Cup fellows to play in the Presidents Cup (with Jack Nicklaus as captain of course) – but if possible, we should try. Either that or continue our biennial disappointment. I would also be okay with Jack Nicklaus becoming permanent Ryder Cup captain. Then I think we would have chances against the fun-loving Euros. I figure Jack has at least 5 more cups in him. By then, Tiger Woods could be playing captain and we’d be set for years. With Jack and Tiger leading the troops for the next 40 or so years — who could ask for more?
Mickelson Tells Asia to Prepare for American Invasion
Phil Mickelson has been a notoriously poor traveller over the years, especially when it comes to taking part in tournaments in Asia.
While his contemporaries such as Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and others have been happy to accommodate Asia when their schedules permit, Mickelson has chosen to stay in the United States with his family.
That is, until now, according to lefty himself. Scheduled to take part in the Asian Tour’s Singapore Open next month, Mickelson said it could be the start of a new lifestyle for the 37-year-old world number two.
Not only is he keen to travel more often to Asia, but he feels other Americans are likely to do the same.
In an interview with news agency AFP, he said:
“I understand why not many Americans have come to Asia in the past but I would like to say that I expect that to change in the future. The USPGA Tour schedule has been shortened and that gives us players three months where we can now compete more internationally.â€
Mickelson also hopes that his children, who are now more grown up, are old enough to appreciate different cultures.
In his first foray into Asia, Mickelson will take on the likes of defending champion Adam Scott and Els in the $4 million Singapore Open, which is often likened to Asia’s major.
After that he heads off to China for the $5 million HSBC Champions tournament. One player missing from these tournaments is Tiger, who, like Mickelson several years ago, has a baby to help look after.
Vijay Triumphs At Korean Open
It was just like old times for former Masters champion Vijay Singh, who made a triumphant return to Asia with victory at the Korean Open at the weekend.
Singh, who won in Korea back in 1995, closed with a two-over-par 73 to hold on for a two-stroke victory over last year’s winner Yang Yong-eun and his Korean compatriot Kim Kyung-tae.
Singh, who has won more than 30 titles on the US PGA Tour, including one Masters and two PGA Championships, got his start in professional golf in Asia.
He has been a regular visitor to the region despite a busy schedule on the PGA Tour but his first foray of 2007, at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, has been well worth the effort.
Singh said on the Asian Tour website:
“It is always nice to win here. I’ve won in Korea back in 1995 and now this year. It is also a significant year for the tournament which is celebrating its 50th anniversary so that is an added celebration.â€
Singh went into the final day with a four-stroke lead and the tournament was his to lose. Although his rivals managed to close the gap, the big Fijian birdied the last hole for a four-round total of six-under-par 278 and a winner’s cheque of $320,855.
In San Antonio, former British Open winner Justin Leonard beat Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik on the third play-off hole to win the Valero Texas Open.
It was the third time Leonard’s won the tournament and he did it with a 10-foot birdie on the decisive play-off hole.
Leonard closed with a 65 while Parnevik had 69 as they finished tied after four rounds on 19-under-par 261.
The two players also duelled for honours at the 1997 British Open at Troon when the American went into the final round five shots behind the Swede.
However, Leonard shot 65 to win the tournament while Parnevik slumped to a 71.
Asia Braces for Golfing Bonanza
Asia is gearing up for a series of three tournaments that promises to bring some of the best golfers in the world to the region.
The action starts in the first week of November with the Singapore Open, followed by the HSBC Champions tournament in China and ends with the Hong Kong Open.
The Singapore Open is distinctive in that it is not co-sanctioned by any other tour. It is solely part of the Asian Tour but still manages to offer $4 million in prize money and boast a field that includes Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, defending champion Adam Scott, Choi Kyung-ju (KJ Choi) and Charles Howell III.
The tournament is sponsored by Barclays and is held at the Sentosa Golf Club, situated on Sentosa Island, which is earmarked as the future hub for casino gambling and entertainment in Southeast Asia.
Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, Reteif Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh will join Els and Mickelson at the HSBC Champions event in Sheshan, China.
The tournament is a $5 million affair won last year by Korean Yang Yong-eun. It is denoted in the Asian Tour website as a “Special Event†with no details about sanctioning.
It is the richest tournament in Asia, though still falls a long way short of the prize money offered on the US PGA Tour.
The Hong Kong Open, sponsored by UBS, is one of the oldest professional golf tournaments in Asia with Canadian lefty Mike Weir leading the challenge at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling.
He will be joined by Choi, Goosen and Trevor Immelman, the 2006 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, in the event co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
The bonanza means that Asia will see two of the 2007 season’s four major winners in Cabrera and Harrington.
The Cup that Jack Built
The merits of the Presidents Cup, whether it is a viable event or not, has been the topic of lively debate over the past week.
While most observers wish to see it zapped from the international calendar, or at least modified so that it becomes part of a global inter-continental set-up, there is at least one person for whom the tournament means a lot … Jack Nicklaus.
The Golden Bear had tears in his eyes as America won the 2007 Presidents Cup with a convincing victory over the International Team.
And if Jack takes this event seriously, are we even allowed to put it down?
The tears were for America’s victory and the fact that it may be the 67-year-old’s last as captain. The US players lined up to pay tribute to Nicklaus as the father-figure of the team, many of them agreeing to play simply because of his presence.
Scott Verplank, one of the heroes of America’s 19 ½ to 14 ½ triumph, said on the PGA Tour website:
“He was my idol growing up. I still have his autograph from when I was a kid that reads, ‘To Scott,’ and all that. I couldn’t draw it up any better than playing for Jack Nicklaus.â€
Tiger Woods, who seems to be reduced to human when playing in a team environment, is the contemporary player mostly closely linked with Nicklaus. After all, Woods appears to be closing in on Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles.
However, Woods was merely a team member in Montreal over the weekend as Nicklaus cast his giant shadow over the whole show.
“We’ve had some great years together since ’98. I’ve always loved playing for Jack, and, hopefully, he’ll come back. He’s the greatest player of all time, and to have him as your captain, it doesn’t get any better than that.â€
One of the best quotes came from Stewart Cink, for whom the honour of playing for Nicklaus appears to be the driving force behind the team’s will to succeed. Cink said:
“To say you played for Jack Nicklaus … they can’t take that away from you. He says something to you, and you listen. It’s special. And you find yourself thinking you’ll do anything to win for him because of what he means.â€
Nicklaus was supposed to quit as captain after the previous Presidents Cup, and this year is considered to be his swansong.
However, with such endearing support from his players and his heart tied to the tournament, Nicklaus has not ruled out a return.
“If they think that they need me, and I think I can help them, then, sure, I’m going to be there. Do I still feel like it’s somebody else’s turn? Sure I do. But would I say no if they came to me again? Of course not. Because that would mean that they want me around, and that turning them down would be sort of a slap in the face.â€
Maybe one day the Presidents Cup will be scrapped, and few tears will be shed. But as long as Jack is around, they’ll be crying for more.
It’s Time To Do Away With The Seve Trophy
Like millions of other people across Europe I’ve spent the last two days hanging on every last drop of emotion and drama that has made the Seve Trophy such compulsive viewing.
As something you’re likely to hear down the pub tonight that probably ranks alongside: “I see Ben Crenshaw’s become an atheist.â€
It’s a shame that the tournament has failed to capture the public’s imagination – and make no mistake, that more people turned up at the National Ploughing Championship on Thursday condemns this year’s instalment to failure – but now might be the time to call it quits.
True the tournament had its moment of pre event controversy and Marc Warren’s bizarre chandelier related accident is already the stuff of legend. But really this is a damp squib of an event.
It is notoriously difficult, in a crowded sporting calendar, to fashion an event of thin air. History and heritage add to the mystique of sporting events. Hitching Seve’s name to the tournament may have been a way of circumventing this problem: filling the pedigree vacuum by flying in a living, breathing legend.
It hasn’t worked. The top players haven’t shown up. The rivalry that makes the Ryder Cup so special doesn’t exist between players that are formidable team mates in the combined European team.
The attraction of Seve having a matchplay event of his own is clear but his amazing feats came against the US not a Great Britain and Ireland hybrid. And Continental Europe as a single entity exists only in the minds of Eurosceptic Tory backbenchers.
Seve deserves a trophy – if Bob Hope can be immortalised with a golf tournament then Seve is more than qualified – but not this one. A different format may help. A permanent venue – Spain being the obvious choice – would also help.
How best to mark Seve’s incredible achievements in tournament form is not going to be easily solved. But, after this week, we can at least rule out the Seve Trophy as it is now as a fitting tribute to the great man.
Singh To Make Korea Move
While primarily catering to golfers in the region, Asian Tour officials are delighted when marquee players accept invitations to take part in their events.
It is safe to say that organisers of next week’s Korean Open are over the moon that Fijian star Vijay Singh has signed on to take part in their tournament.
The former US Masters and PGA Championship winner, who has won 52 titles globally, will be the focus of attention in Seoul as the tournament celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Among the Asian players hoping to make it difficult for Singh are Korea’s defending champion Yang Yong-eun, China’s Asian Order of Merit leader Liang Wen-chong and Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, who has won on the European Tour.
The 44-year-old Singh, ranked 12th in the world, has always had a soft spot for Asia, and vice-versa, having started his career in the region before going on to play in Europe.
He then found enormous success on the US PGA Tour, where he won 31 titles, including two this season – the Mercedez-Benz Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The highlights of his career so far are his Masters title and two PGA Championship triumphs.
Last year, Singh also etched his name into golf history when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The Korean trip is the first of a trifecta of Asian stops, with the Singapore Open within his sights and ending with the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai in November.
The $1 million Korean Open is the 21st event on the 2007 Asian Tour, which boasts 28 tournaments, and is among the more popular stops on the calendar.
Open Rota A Study In Fairness Or Yet Another English Plot?
The clubhouses at Royal St George’s and Royal Lytham have no doubt been deafening dens of clinking sherry glasses and stiff upper lipped “here, here’s†this week.
But amid the madcap celebrations of their confirmation on the Open rota in 2011 and 2012 the good members of those to esteemed golfing institutions may well have heard other, more disconcerting, sounds.
For the wailing and gnashing of teeth that has been going in Scotland must surely have carried over the border and all the way through England.
The home of golf is a strange country. The former Scottish Executive’s mantra was “the best small country in the world.†Good aye, but only in our rightful place. For all the modernity of a parliament building and the apparent confidence of giving the “English†government a bloody nose by voting for the SNP, Scotland is a country with a fragile view of itself.
The consternation this week has centred around England being allowed to host the Open twice in a row. The sheer devilment of the Sassenachs! Jings, crivvens, help ma boab! Like the Stone of Destiny, golf is ours. And now the English bullies want to steal it.
The reaction in some quarters, the resort to hysteria and the repeated wailing of Scotland’s unofficial national motto, “it’s no fair,†is a more a revealing insight into Scotland’s haphazard attempts to shake off the embittered victim status of its national psyche than it is of an English plot to steal our crown jewels.
We know that every five years the Open will be played at St Andrews. We know that there are eight other courses, each of them displaying their own particular traits of genius, that will at some stage host the event.
The beauty of the Open is how the rota works: the R&A work on, apparently, a completely ad hoc basis. And yet they somehow retain their meticulous sense of fair
play.
An English Open in 2011 and 2012 will be followed, sure as haggis comes with neeps and tatties, by a Scottish Open in 2013. There is no big deal. The R&A have been mindful of other events in making their choices: St George’s was pencilled in for 2012 but the Olympic Games in London that year make that impossible. Golf enjoys too few moments in the sun to allow it be overshadowed by “the greatest show on earth.â€
So Scotland will have to make do with St Andrews in 2010 and 2015 and possibly Muirfield in 2013. It’s not a bad return for a wee country, is it?
And 2014? Well, we know that Scotland will host the Ryder Cup that year. And it seems likely that we’ll also snare the Commenwealth Games. The sporting calendar will not allow for the Open as well.
The solution? Quite simple really. Portrush is crying out for a Northern Ireland Open!
Westwood Revives Ryder Cup Memories with Belfry Win
With much of the media coverage focusing on the Presidents Cup, it is fitting that Lee Westwood triumphed at The Belfry over the weekend.
Westwood, who won the British Masters by five strokes over fellow Englishman Ian Poulter, has fond memories of The Belfry, where he was one of Europe’s heroes in that other famous inter-continental team event, the Ryder Cup, five years ago.
Indeed, Westwood admitted that his victory at the weekend was “right up there†with the 2002 Ryder Cup, when he collected three points to give Europe success over the Americans 15 ½ to 12 ½.
After being given an ovation by the delighted home crowd on the 18th, he said on the European Tour website:
“I am feeling very happy. I’ve had some special moments in my career here – and this one is right up there. I don’t think I’ve ever been clapped the entire length of the final hole, which is obviously very, very specialâ€
Westwood closed with a dominating 65 to finish at 15-under-par 273 for the tournament and pick up a winner’s cheque for 434,727 euros.
Poulter’s 70 in the final round was good for second place, one stroke ahead of another Englishman, Mark Foster, the overnight leader who slumped on the fourth day with 73 to end up on 279.
Next came seven players on seven-under 281, including former US Open champion Michael Campbell, of New Zealand, Sweden’s Niclas Fasth and the man with one of the best names in golf, Zane Scotland, of England.
It was Westwood’s 18th title on the European Tour and second win of the 2007 season, having won the Valle Romano Open de Andalucia earlier this year to end a four-season drought.
Meanwhile, over in Canada, players from the American and International teams were preparing to do battle in the Presidents Cup.
One of the key players for the International team is South African Retief Goosen, one of only four players in Gary Player’s squad to have a winning record.
Goosen beat Tiger Woods two years ago, although the Americans still triumphed, and he is hoping that he can be a part of a winning team this time around in Montreal. He said on the PGA Tour website:
“Obviously, the team spirit is great. It just doesn’t feel like you’re playing for yourself out there like you normally do. You’ve got the 11 other guys that you’re carrying around and trying to help get that point on the board.â€
Asian Teams Vie For World Cup Places
Organisers of the Fortis International Challenge in Malaysia this month were hoping for a few big names for the qualifying tournament for November’s World Cup.
However, their only hope of a big-name player, New Zealand, opted to go with Stephen Scahill and Richard Lee.
Kiwi former US Open champion Michael Campbell is unable to represent his country, but there is still expected to be a mad scramble to earn one of the five places available for the World Cup in Mission Hills, China.
After Iceland withdrew from the tournament, the qualifiers are left with a total of 20 teams vying for the five vacant places in the finals. Already, 18 teams have qualified for the finals via the Official World Golf Rankings while Asia and South America will provide the remaining 10 places.
Thailand, with European regular Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marsaeng, will start out as favourites along with Taiwan, Holland, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and home side Malaysia.
Taiwan will not field Lu Wen-teh, who claimed victory at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on the Asian Tour for his second title this season.
The 43-year-old Lu closed with an even-par 72 on his home course at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club for a total of four-under-par 284 and a top prize of $100,000.
Korean Ted Oh, the overnight leader, collapsed to card a 76 on the final round but managed to hold on to the runner-up spot, three strokes behind.
Lu’s victory enabled him to rise to seventh on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit with $220,572 in earnings so far this season.
He also became the first Taiwanese player to eclipse $1 million in earnings from the Asian Tour.
